To clarify allergen-related policy and practices, industry experts from the FDA, Johns Hopkins University, ConAgra and the Coca-Cola Co. presented in a Food Safety Summit workshop, “Food Allergen Control Update,” April 10 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

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The most common allergens, by prevalence, are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Sesame is increasingly being recognized as a common allergen, Keet said.

In January 2013 Jessica connected me with Janna dePorter, a research associate at CSPI, about CSPI’s work on a petition for the FDA to get sesame labeling going. I was able to reach out to my own networks so that Janna could speak with other great individuals that wrangle sesame allergies in their life.

FDA should protect the estimated 300,000 to 500,000 Americans who are dangerously allergic to sesame by mandating the ingredient be labeled clearly when in foods and when products are made on the same machinery as foods with the ingredient, the Center for Science in the Public Interest argues.

Sesame should to be added to the Big 8 list of allergens that must be identified on food labels, say several prominent allergy experts who joined the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in a petition filed Tuesday (Nov. 18) with the Food and Drug Administration.

In a news release, CSPI highlighted the case of a 10-year-old boy in Virginia who was rushed to the emergency room after eating a meal at a restaurant, despite his parents getting the assurance of the staff before ordering that the meal contained no sesame seeds.